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Investigation of Body Composition Indices and Functional Outcome Questionnaires in Children with Spinal Cord
Jamie Ellis1,2, Mary P Galea2, Adam Scheinberg1,3,4
1Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Children with spinal cord disorders (SCD) show altered body composition, with decreased lean mass and increased fat mass. Bone density was reduced at the hip, impacting functional outcomes and pain levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric medicine
- Neurology
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Spinal cord disorders (SCD) in children are rare but can significantly impact body composition and functional outcomes.
- There is limited understanding of bone health and the overall experience of pediatric SCD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe bone health and body composition in children with SCD.
- To characterize pediatric SCD using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Framework.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving ten pediatric participants with SCD at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.
- Utilized whole-body dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for body composition analysis.
- Administered questionnaires on pain, activity, and participation.
Main Results:
- DXA scans revealed decreased lean tissue indices and increased fat tissue indices in all participants compared to age-matched controls.
- Bone mineral density was unchanged at the spine but decreased at the hip (Mean Z-score: -2.2 ± 1.0).
- Weight-bearing status correlated with functional outcomes, with weight-bearing children reporting higher pain, activity, and participation levels.
Conclusions:
- This study presents novel data on body composition and functional outcomes in pediatric SCD.
- The findings offer insights into the experiences of children with SCD at a major pediatric hospital.
- Larger studies are recommended to generalize these findings.
Study Design:
Cross-sectional study OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord disorders (SCD) in children are rare, but effects on body composition and functional outcomes can be significant. Little is known about bone health and pediatric SCD experiences. We therefore aimed to describe bone health and body composition following pediatric SCD, and characterize the condition based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Framework.
Setting:
The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia METHODS: Ten participants with SCD were recruited into a study exploring musculoskeletal outcomes. Whole-body dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans for musculoskeletal and body composition analysis, and pain, activity, and participation questionnaires were administered.
Results:
Body composition measured by DXA revealed lean tissue indices were decreased, and fat tissue indices were increased for all participants compared to age-matched controls. The centiles (mean ± SD) for Lean Mass Index and Appendicular Lean Mass Index for the whole cohort were 14 ± 25 and 8 ± 13, respectively, while the total cohort Fat Mass Index and Trunk/Appendicular Fat Mass Ratio centiles were 61 ± 31 and 69 ± 34, respectively. Bone mineral density levels at the spine were unchanged but decreased at the hip for all participants (Mean Z-score: -2.2 ± 1.0). Weight-bearing status influenced functional outcomes, with weight-bearing children tending to report higher levels of pain, activity and participation than non-weight-bearing children.
Conclusions:
We report novel body composition data and functional outcomes in children with SCD. This study provides a useful overview of the experiences of children with SCD at the Royal Children's Hospital, but larger scale studies are needed to generalize the results.
